Engineers assess impact after car fire cuts broadband

The car hit a telegraph pole and caught fire, leaving hundreds of homes without internet

Engineers working to restore broadband to hundreds of customers cut off following a car fire say it is not yet clear when services can be restored.

About 1,000 customers in Beaminster, Dorset, lost their internet service when a car crashed into a telegraph pole and burst into flames on Sunday.

Some were told they could be reconnected on Thursday but Openreach was unable to confirm, saying engineers were still assessing the damage.

The outage is affecting a school, GP surgery, shops and businesses, as well as domestic customers.

In an update on Wednesday morning, an Openreach spokesperson said: "We're fully assessing the impact and how much damage has been caused.

"Then we hope to have a clearer indication of exactly how long it will take before services are restored.

"Installing a new pole and rebuilding the damaged fibre network is a complex task, but we understand how disruptive it is for local residents to be without broadband.

"Our engineers are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore services and get things back to normal."

About 1,000 customers are affected, according to Openreach

The road between Beaminster and the A356 was closed due to the fire in White Sheet Hill at about 22:45 BST on Sunday.

Police said they were trying to locate the driver.

Dorset Council arranged for the burnt-out vehicle to be removed on Tuesday so Openreach engineers could start repairs.

Beaminster School, which is among those affected, said in a Facebook post: "Until we are reconnected please contact the school by telephone, including for reporting all student absences."

Tunnel Surgery is also without broadband and patients have been asked to use e-consult or call its sister practice in Bridport if they need an urgent appointment.

Beaminster Library said it was offering free wi-fi during opening times for anyone who needed it.